Slack adjuster



Dec. 30, 1930. y w..H. SAUVAGE 1,787,123

' sLAcK ADJUSTER Filed Feb. 9l 1925l 2 sheets-sheet 1 w. H. SAUVAGE SLACK ADJUSTER Dec. 3o, 1930.l

Filed Feb. 9, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 30, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT kr.o1-"Flon:

WILLIAM II. SAUVAGE, or NEW YORK, N.. Y., ASsIGNoR, BY MiisNE` ASSIGNMENTS, To

GoULD COUPLER COMPANY, or NEW YORK, N. Y. .n f

sLACK ADJUSTER Application filed. February 9, 192.5.4 Serial No. 7,955.

This invention relates to slack adjusters and more particularly to automatic slack adjusters for the brake rigging of railway cars, although, as willap'pear from the following description, many features are applicable to other parts of thebrake rigging Where the effective' length of a connecting member, for example, is adapted to be varied as slack or eXcess travel occurs.`

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a Vslack adjuster of the above general character which will Vbe automatic in its operation, and have relatively few parts whereby the ldevice may be inexpensively manufactured, assembled and` installed.

A further object is to provide a mechanism of the above general character, adapted to be supported from the car body, yet to cooperate with thehtruckbrake rigging in a relie able'and eicient manner. p

' A further obj ect is to provide a mechanism of the last abovementioned character which will permit of relative movement between the car body and thek truck as whengoing around curves, foreXample, without in any Way actuating the slack adjuster;

Other objects will bein part obvious from the lannexed drawings andin part indicated' in connection therewith by the following analysis of this invention. f

The invention accordingly consists in the featuresl of construction, combination of parts and in the unique relations of the variousmembers and in the relativepropon.

tioning and disposition thereof, all as clearly outlined hereinafter.

To enable others skilledfn the art so fully to comprehend the underlying features thereof that they mayembody the same by numeryous modifications in structure and relation contemplated in this invent-ion, drawings depicting, a preferred form have been annexed as part of this disclosure, and in such drawings lifke charactersof reference denote cora respondingrparts throughout allpthe views,

in which#- 4 Figure 1 is a Vertical elevational View partlyin section, showing such parts ofdatruck andi t'sf brake' mechanismJand car bodyfas is necessary t@ fully Understand. the invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional elevational view of the 'slack adjuster; and Y Figure 3 is a plan yview of the slack adjuster. l

Referring now and more particularly to Figure 1, 5 indicates the draft sill of a car body and`6 the truck bolster having the usual king pin or pivotal `connection 7; To one side of the truck-bolster is mounted a hanger 8 for the dead lever 10, which is connected at its lower end with push rod 11 pivotally connected in train` tothe lower end of alive lever 12. The upper endof the live lever is connected to a pull rod 13, which, in turn, is actuated by the brake actuating mechanism of any desired type. AThe live and dead levers are provided with brake beams 14, all of well known general construction.

Secured to the underside of the draft sill 5 is a bracket 15 carrying the slack adjusterk mechanism hereinabove described and shown more clearly 1n detail 1n Figures 2 and 3.

This slack Aadjuster mechanism* comprises a casing 16 provided with supporting and attaching means such as bolt holes 17 andis hollow to provide a housing 18 through which a take up rod 20'is free to pass. This take up rod is provided. with a stop 21 at one end vand an eye 22 at its opposite end. Connected to the eye22 and the upper end of the dead lever area plurality` of links to form a chain 23 thereby to provide a flexible connection therebetween which .permits a relative turningmovement Lbetween the slack adjusterand the truck brake rigging as, for eX- ample, when the car is rounding a curve.

Within the housing 18 are a. plurality of holding dogs 24 which consists preferably of a pair of rectangular steel plates having an opening in their central part through which therod is free to pass. A spring 25 mountedupon a boss 26 is interposed between one wall of the housing 18L and the side of one of kthedogs 24, therebyl normally to holdthe dogs in ,canted position. Case hardened edges'` of the holes through, the dogs engage .the take up rod 20 to normally preventany relative` movement ofthe rod towards. ythe to thefdrawings in detailk lihm l Adjacent this part of the slack adjuster and movable relatively to the casing 16, is a second housing 27 also providing a chamber 28 in which a dog 30 is mounted similar to those just described. A spring 3l is interposed between the side .wall of the housingand the dog to hold the same in canted position. An adjusting rod 32 is threaded at 33 into the side wall of the housing and the opposite end'34 is connected lbymeans of'a` rod 35 with a chain 36, the opposite end of which chain is connected to a friction clampV 37 upon the pull rod 13. This flexible chain provides a certain amount of lost motion and insures uniform travel of the brake actuating mechanism. In other words, there will be .no operation o'f the slack adjuster until the lpull rod 13 moves sufficiently towardsthe right to take up all of the slack in the chain 36. A spring 40 surrounds' the rod 32, and normally maintains-the housing 27 in close proximity to the fixed'housing 18.

'Having describedwthe construction, the' operation thereof is substantially as follows: In` normal actuation, a movement of the pull lro'd 1S-towards the right will actuate the surrounding the adjusting'rod. It will be understood that the dog 30 is free to move bodily in this right hand direction, andthe dogs 24 prevent a reactive movement of the rod 20 connected to the upperend of the dead lever. On release of the brakes, the spring 4() expands to return the housing 27 to normal position, and, during this movement, the case hardened edgeof the' dog 30 Y bites into the take'up rod 20 to carry the same towards the left an y'amount correspending to the compression of the spring onV the excess travel of the brake rigging.

This movement causes the adjusting rod tov pass freely in a left hand the dogs 24 which thereafterpermanently hold this excess travel.

' Itxwillbe noted that the underside of the housing 27 is provided with a tubularpor-` tion4-1 carrying a pin 42 which is substantially'` equal in'length to the normal space between thev dog 30 and the` adjacent dog 24. When it is :desired to restore the parts to normallposition, as in replacing brake shoes,ffor example, the lower endof-'the Xmovement through the' A d lower ends of the dogs 24 likewise to the dogy BOiis'moved towards .theY left. `This direction through i left until they occupy a position normal to the axis of the take up rod 20 and in that position Vthe adjusting rod is Vfree to be moved in either direction. After the new brake shoes are installed, the first application of the brakeswill repeat the operation above'described, taking up all of the excess travel during a single complete cycle 0f operation, ,that,is,` application and release Y `of the brakes. y y

`From the above it will be seen that the present invention provides a 'simple and practical'apparatus well adapted to accomplish amongothers all of the objects and advantages herein set forth. j

Without further analysis`- the Yforegoing will as fully reveal Athe gist of this inven-'fA knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting certain features f that from the 'standpoint ofthe prior art fairly constitute essential characteristic feation that others can by applyingl'currentf tures of the generic and'specic aspects of this invention, and, therefore,y such adapta,`

tions should" and are intended to bel comprehended within thevmeaning and range of equivalency of the vfollowing' claims.

I' claim:

, l. In an apparatus of theV character described, in combin'atiom-a slack adjuster casingsupported from thecar body, a second casing movable relativelywith respect thereto, an adjusting rod connectedwiththe brake actuating mechanism, a swing adapted tobe ging, atake up rod connected with theupper end of the dead lever adapted to be ac*-- compressed on excess travel of the brake rigv tuated on release vof the, brakes 'after excess travel vhas, occurred', fiexible means associated with Yeach of said connections adapted to permit relative movement ofthe truck with respect 'to the adjuster, andk means whereby both the `temporaryand permanent take vup and holdingA means may be Vreleased by a'single operationwhen it is ldesired to replaceworn parts.

scribed, in combination, a housing ysupported In'an apparatus ofrthe character defrom the underside of thecar body/,ja take up rod passing through said housing, permanent take up `and holding` means associated with said'take up rod adapted to permit yila movement' in one direction and normallylpre- 'j vent movement 1n the opposite direction, a

second housing, an adjusting rod associated therewith, temporary I takefup and holdingy means therefor, and 'a compression spring adapted. to beicompressedv on. movement ofy said second housingwhen excess travel occurs, and means adapted to 'actuate said take uprod on release of the. brakes when` excess travel occurs, anda'single device interposed Y between said temporary and permanent holdis released,"

3. In a slack adjuster, a housing supported v from the underside of the car body, a take up rod passing through said housing, permanent take up and holding means associated with said rod, a second housing, an adjusting rod associated therewith, temporary take up and holding means therein, resilient means adapted to actuate said take up rod on release of the brakes When any excess travel occurs, and means interposed between said temporary and permanent take up and holding means for releasing one of said means When the other is released.

4. In a slack adjuster, temporary take-up means, permanent take-up means, and means acted on by one of saidtake-up means to effeot release of the other.

Signed at New York oitythis 8th day of January, 1925.

WILLIAM H. SAUVAGE. 

